Painted Red
by Doventa
Summary: Caroline Forbes is a freshly-made detective who just joined NYPD's homicide department under the supervision of her new partner - Niklaus Mikaelson. Rugged British detective and she bump heads every second possible, yet for how long when they're doomed to spend most of their days together.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

"Detective Forbes reporting to the duty." Caroline was positively gleaming, her voice about an octave higher and lips curved into a wide smile. After all, it was her first day as a homicide detective after years upon years of studying, training and working in the field until she finally got recognized.

That day, however, wasn't the best for the security guard as he simply grumbled and slid a _guest_ card across the counter before turning his gaze towards the TV that was airing an old 80s sitcom.

It wasn't as if that was about to ruin Caroline's mood.

With a spring in her step she proceeded to walk towards the elevator, blonde curls bouncing up and down her shoulders, high heels clicking with the tiles in a loud manner. The lobby was packed with people, all of them so focused on their phones, newspapers or coffee mugs that it seemed like a parade of bowing ducks. The lobby so neat you could almost call it sterile definitely fit well with people that did not stand out whatsoever; grey masses of long faces, words hummed out rather than spoken aloud. In all honesty, she was expecting something just a bit more... exciting.

Her walking while looking around instead of the path ahead was not the smartest of moves, and just as she was turning her head towards where the elevator was, her tiny frame collided with someone else's.

"Watch out!" She snapped, crouching so to pick up her card, shooting angry looks towards the man in a blue suit that didn't stop for even a fraction of a second. He was hurrying towards the exit while she was straightening her jacket and trying to burn his skull with as much as her gaze. He stopped only for a moment, waiting for the door to open, and turned his head for as much as an inch, yet it was enough for their eyes to meet.

He was a man in his early thirties, rugged good looks, expensive Italian suit and ruffled golden-brown hair. She was a girl who flared her nostrils in anger and dramatically spun around on her heel before strutting right into the elevator packed with people. Right before the door closed, she could see his silhouette leaving the building and disappearing into a busy New York street.

...

"Table. Colleagues. Chief's office." Luscious brown curls bounced and spun as the woman showed Caroline around with the interest that was next to nonexistent. Her name was Katherine Pierce – a White Collar detective and a diva extraordinaire. Caroline herself was no stranger to fashion and a pinch of sass, yet her measures were nowhere near to what Miss Pierce bestowed.

"Uh, _thanks_." Caroline finally murmured, her gratitude as real as Katherine's nails — and those were most definitely not. She put her briefcase on the table, yet that was as far as she could think of in a matter of actually doing something. No one seemed particularly interested and Caroline herself felt like a new kid in school – doomed to be outcast for a year or two. What made it worse was the fact that it wasn't school anymore. "Is the chief in his office?"

"He should be." Nonchalant voice, nonchalant shrug, expression that simply radiated boredom. "Are we done with the welcome wagon yet?"

Before Caroline could answer, Katherine was long gone, chattering with her colleagues in an oddly flirty manner. The attitude was what definitely wiped the smile from Caroline's face for a brief moment, yet she didn't allow it to get to her for longer than that. Pinning her visitor card to the pocket of her jacket, she ran a hand through her hair, quipped with her usual girly smile and made her way towards the heavy wooden door that were not actually there for a reason as the rest of the walls were made out of glass. It did nothing for privacy, yet proved to be useful in a sense where no one was to sneak up to him. Dark brown eyes met hers and he waved his hand in an inviting gesture.

"Hi, I hope I'm not disturbing." She almost sang out after slipping into the office and closing the door behind her. The office was magnificent – the furthest thing from sterile lobby one could imagine. Mahogany table and bookshelves, a plush armchairs and smell of quality coffee made the smile that much more genuine as she felt like she just stepped into a whole another dimension of NYPD.

"Nonsense. Please take a seat." He gestured towards one of the chairs and smiled in the warmest smiles. Caroline had to remind herself that the man was her boss now, because she caught herself thinking that no one was allowed to be that good looking.

In all honesty, Caroline did not go that far from being a flirty high school sweetheart and Miss Mystic Falls. Off course, years molded and shaped her into a responsible woman, yet that little spark of mischief remained. After all, when all her friends seemed to settle down and live their slow apple-pie lives, she fought tooth and nail to be where she was now. In her mind she was entitled to have some fun meanwhile.

"I presume you were given a tour around." His soothing voice snapped Caroline out of her daze and she crossed her legs while nodding.

"I... Yes." She answered, not bothering to jump into the details of said tour that was not exactly that tour-y to begin with.

"I can always spot a lie, Miss Forbes." He answered with a chuckle, making Caroline blush like a teenager who was caught writing a love note to someone. Not only it was unprofessional, but damn distracting at the same time and instead of looking at him with her doe-like eyes she averted her gaze to the name plate that read _Elijah Mikaelson_ engraved in the metal. The old-fashioned name fit with his manners and deep accent that she caught from the very first word spoken. "Nonetheless, you'll have plenty of time to get acquainted on your own."

"Don't mind me if I do." She answered with a soft chuckle and a perfectly mastered toss of her hair. It wasn't much of a flirty gesture, yet after all the blushing and words that were inconsistently spat out rather than spoken, she tried to regain at least pinch of her dignity. Caroline Forbes was a strong independent woman, even if she had to remind herself of that every once in a while.

"Your partner should be back any time now and I'd love to introduce you, Miss Forbes. How about some coffee beforehand?" His question proved to be a rhetorical one as before she even managed to think of an answer, he was already by the door, gesturing her to step outside and accompany him while on the mission to get some godly liquid energy.

Caroline could see Katherine watching them with the corner of her eyes while still talking to one of the detectives. She could swear that there was something in that gaze that surpassed the usual dislike. Yet Caroline was always a paranoid one, thus with a smile she proceeded to walk towards the table with coffee pots on in silence.

Elijah poured her a cup and started filling the second one, his eyes wandering somewhere behind her and in no longer than a minute a somewhat crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"And here's Niklaus;— It's time for an introduction." The sentence made Caroline spin around, her gaze following the same trajectory that Elijah's did.

Coming through the door was a man; a man in his early thirties, rugged good looks, expensive Italian suit and ruffled golden-brown hair. Caroline's eyes widened and at the exact same moment his eyes met hers across the room.

Caroline could swear that she saw him grin in a widest grins ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

The silence in the car was so heavy, it made Caroline bite her lip in suspense while watching through the window the whole time. It was that kind of a silence that rung in her ears, its sickening sweetness noticeable on the very tip of her tongue.

To sum up the events that led her there, it all started with that blasted contact the two of them made in the lobby and with those two words almost shouted at him afterwards. Niklaus — or Klaus as he liked to be called — seemed to be one of those snooty rich boys who were so bored out of their mind that instead of going bungee jumping, decided to join the force because it served them as one never-ending rush of adrenaline. Everything from his posture and his clothes to his speech and his smile simply repelled her.

It was awkward to even stand there, back in the office where everyone were saying their hello's and shaking her hand, yet Klaus decided to sit at his desk ant watch her from afar instead. With his legs up on the desk and his hands crossed under his head he simply followed her every move never losing that grin of his. If those were different circumstances, she would've admired his dimples and his chiselled looks that went so well with that deep accent that would've made her melt just a bit, yet the dream was completely ruined and instead of a charming smile she was trying her best not to curl her lip in discontent.

The first call to the scene was supposed to be somewhat of an achievement, something that Caroline was looking forward to for years, and she wasn't about to ruin it or let him do the same for her.

"How long have you been working in homicide?" She finally thought of a neutral question that would help her break the tension. It was easy, it was casual and more than that – it was a sign enough that she didn't hold any grudges against him.

A brief moment passed, making Caroline turn her head to look at him. There he was – Mr. Cocky with his hands on the wheel and his eyes fixed on the road ahead, a grin marking his lips in the most annoying of ways. And even if she could've looked past it, there was the fact that he wasn't even bothered to answer her question. He just _was_ there, like some sort of a plan that does practically nothing whatsoever but gathers dust.

With a sigh that was louder than thousands of words Caroline once again averted her gaze from him to the buildings that were flying past them too fast to be appreciated. The tension would've been building up between them, yet she was pretty sure that it couldn't go any higher than it was right then.

With a loud squeak and an abrupt toss the car stopped making Caroline hold onto the handle in fear of actually colliding with the window. She was wearing a seatbelt, however it seemed like it would've ripped clean right there and then.

"Are you serious with this?!" She raised her voice just the same as she did earlier that day. Only this time her expression was nowhere near being simply pissed off;— at that very moment she was simply fuming. "Who taught you how to ride? Your three year old brother?"

"Don't have one." He answered nonchalantly without even as much as one glimpse cast her way before sliding out of the car and slamming the door behind him.

Oh, the man was pushing all the wrong buttons that day. Caroline had to sit there for another second, breathing in and breathing out so to push the urge of pistol-whipping him to a pulp. She was a professional, she went through courses upon courses of lectures that were meant to prepare her for the job, yet there were no lectures on how to tolerate your partner – a person that was supposed to have your back.

Only the realization that Klaus was long gone made her almost jump out of the car and hurry into the building surrounded with police officers, flashing them her brand new shiny badge while trying not to dislocate her _anything_ in the process. Klaus was already standing in the middle of the room, his hands linked behind his back while listening to one of the policemen. Without a doubt she sneaked right next to him, sporting her most casual expression with an occasional nod as the speech continued.

"Victim's name is John Franco. Thirty-Two years old businessman, divorced." The man explained in an almost bored tone of voice; as if someone lying dead two feet from him was an everyday occurrence. "Died at around five in the morning. Cause of death – multiple stab wounds. Fifteen, to be exact."

Upon those words Caroline couldn't help herself, but step aside from the two and make her way towards the bed the victim was lying on.

He looked like an average man one would run into in a coffee shop or a late-night movie showing. There was nothing extraordinary about him, well, except fifteen gashes looking so deep that she needed an expertise to tell whether either one of them was not deadly. White sheets were stained in pools of blood, some of it made its way to the hardwood floor. She took a quick look around, noticing more bloodstains splattered all over the floor from the kitchen straight to the bed. Following the trail she manoeuvred around the people and straight into the kitchen where, propped neatly against the wall, was a bloody kitchen knife – your regular kind. As if on the display, a monument of gruesome murder awaiting to be worshiped, however all it did was making her question the motive of such theatricality.

"Don't trample the evidence." Klaus' voice almost made her jump, interrupting every theory she had and making her gawk at him in annoyance.

"I know how to behave on the crime scene, thank you very much." She shot back before strutting back into the bedroom, once again fuming and completely fed up. It was one thing not to respect her, however to question her professionalism was completely out of bounds. She tried to make nice with him, she tried not to cross his path, yet apparently the man ate despair and insults for breakfast followed by a big mug of obnoxiously cocky to wash the dryness away.

"We have a witness back at the precinct, maybe you two should go back for an interrogation." The same officer who laid the background out to them called through the racket before disappearing with a phone by his ear, apparently calling the morgue to get the remains back as well.

Caroline cast the last glance around the apartment, her eyes lingering on the body for a while before she hurried out the door and to the car that was already purring as Klaus was so impatiently — he made it quite clear with a roll of his eyes — waiting for her to get in.

...

"The suspect is victim's business partner." The man who briefed them was — as Caroline learned — detective Alaric Saltzman, yet another one in Homicide who was working together with his partner Galen Vaughn for over five years. The two seemed to get along pretty well, yet cats and rats were getting along better than Caroline and Klaus did. "So far he's the only one we have, as our victim came to New York only few months ago. No family or significant others here as far as we know."

With a friendly smile and a nod he turned left while Caroline and Klaus made their way towards the interrogation room. Everything would've been much more exciting if it wasn't for the company Caroline was having; yet all she could do was to suck it up and take it as a man while taking in all she could on her first day.

"Might I suggest leaving the actual interrogation up to me?" There were only so many words Klaus has spoken that day, yet all of them were demeaning at their finest. She wasn't about to answer as it would've only made it worse. Instead, she folded her arms on her chest and proceeded towards the door.

"No—" Caroline breathed out upon the sight of the man sitting by the table with his hands cuffed. Raven black hair and eyes just as dark, wide shoulders and muscles that couldn't be concealed by a cardigan he was wearing. "Ty?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

Seconds were ticking, simply crawling in a gut-wrenching speed. She watched Tyler, with his face in his hands, sitting by the table behind the glass that separated them.

"Do you know him?" Klaus' voice echoed throughout the corridor as Caroline turned her gaze to look at him, his hand already on the handle, yet reluctant to turn it.

"Somewhat." She murmured, hoping that the answer was enough and he wouldn't ask for the longer version.

The longer version was the one where Caroline and Tyler were high school sweethearts; together through their years in school and then in college until life got in between them some half a year ago. The longer version was the one where she stood by him through thick and thin, regardless of his family problems, his anger management issues or his frivolous lifestyle that — contrary to popular belief — did not change throughout the years.

One thing Caroline knew for sure – Tyler was no killer. With his ups and his downs, and his mood swings, he might've been an unpredictable man, yet he was never the one who could kill someone in cold blood.

"Do you need to sit this one out?" If it was a genuine question, Caroline probably would've said _yes_. Yet the manner under which it was presented simply dripped with mistrust and scorn, making Caroline's blood boil. She wasn't about to allow her personal life to get in the way of her work.

"I'm good." Her voice was assuring, just as her expression was. Caroline managed to pull herself together in a matter of seconds, hoping oh so much that it would've been just as easy to do so inside the room. Klaus, however, raised a curious brow, eyeing her with not as much as a speck of trust in his eyes. "Just open the door."

It was somewhat bizarre to see Klaus hesitating. To Caroline he was a man who acted upon a whim rather than a careful deliberation and even if it was noticeable for no more than a fraction of a second, Caroline added that trait to her book called 'Just what exactly Klaus is'.

And while in the midst of her thoughts, he finally turned the handle and walked into the dim room, Caroline walking in just behind him and well out of sight.

"Do you mind explaining what exactly am I doing here?" Tyler's furious voice made her shiver just a bit, but she knew she had to swallow all that and play her role of a friendly neighbourhood detective. Klaus took a seat in silence, thus leaving her to stand there, her eyes fixed on Tyler's who seemed to be more shocked than angry. "Care?"

"Well, Mister Lockwood, you've got yourself in a quite a situation here." Klaus' even voice broke the silence, his eyes fixed on the file rather than either one of them. Caroline used the chance to quickly take a seat and look down at her hands that she got busy with her pen.

She wanted to scream and shout that Tyler was not guilty, that he could never kill a man in cold blood for any reason whatsoever. She could feel her high school self trying to break free, trying to reason and to protect until she bleeds because of her effort. Yet the situation had nothing to do with high school or romance shared; in the present day he was the main suspect in a bloody murder while she was a detective who had to get hard evidence in order to justify his innocence.

"Caroline—" Tyler's desperate voice sounded like a plea; it was something that she wanted to run from rather than face, yet it was not up to her.

"Ty— Mister Lockwood, you are a suspect in the murder of John Franco." Her voice broke more than once, as silent as a gust of wind. "Where were you at around five in the morning today?"

Caroline had to work on looking at him; however in the middle of the sentence she was able to lift her head up high enough to be able to catch Tyler's anxious gaze. She could feel another set of eyes fixed on her as well – Klaus' – yet he was the last person she cared about.

"I was at home. Sleeping." The ever so unfortunate alibi made Caroline's heart sink. It stood for nothing and she knew it better that she wanted to.

"Alone?" This time it was Klaus, his voice harsher and his questions way blunter than hers were. He didn't seem interested or fazed at all, and at that precise moment Caroline wished she could be just the same.

"Actually, no." Tyler's answer sparked mixed feelings inside. On one hand she was happy that he had a bit of a stronger ground beneath him, yet that little pesky voice of long-forgotten jealousy and curiosity could not leave her alone. "I was with my girlfriend— Hayley Marshall. I did not leave the house for the whole night and she can testify for that."

That time Tyler's voice was borderline smug and his expression was not far from gloating either. She knew that the tables have turned and instead of him trying to prove his innocence now they had to prove his guilt instead. It was somewhat of a relief, yet if the circumstance were any different, instead of being happy for him, she would've been more than pissed.

Hayley was — how Tyler used to describe her —just a _friend_. Someone he bonded with in one of his business trips and then spent days upon days trying to prove to Caroline that there was nothing whatsoever going between them. She was a wild little thing, unpredictable like a wildfire and just as _hot_. And in the end, it was not the fact that he found someone — God knew, Caroline had her own fun — but that he ended up with her after so much time of trying to show just how not interested in Hayley Tyler was.

„I will do that right now, if you don't mind." Klaus answered and with another glance cast Caroline's way he stepped out of the room, leaving the two of them in an awkward silence and the situation that was just the same.

„So..." Tyler started first, leaning on the table and looking at her with an unsaid question clearly visible in both his eyes and expression.

„Yeah..." Was all she managed to say, no matter how pathetic it sounded. There were times when the two were able to have a conversation throughout the whole night without as much as a minute spent in silence. And then she couldn't think of one thing to ask or to tell so instead of trying, Caroline cleared her throat and stood up abruptly. "I'll go see if he managed to speak with Hayley. If all goes well, you should be out in no more than half an hour."

"Caroline, wait!" His voice rose as she was already by the door, and instinctively Caroline stopped, with her hand already on the handle, just to look at him through her shoulder.

He seemed like a man the two shared history with, a man sitting behind the table in an interrogation room with his hands cuffed. A man who was calling Hayley his girlfriend, a man that, in the end, had nothing to say to her anymore.

And with that thought she turned the handle and walked out of the room without a hint of hesitation in her step.

Klaus was there, standing right next to the glass wall, looking at Tyler resting his head in his hands.

"Did you call her?" She asked running fingers through her already messy curls.

"Didn't have the chance." He answered, not even bothering to look at her.

It was more than clear that the man had zero respect for Caroline, yet she didn't even bother to argue anymore. With a sigh she spun around on her heel and proceeded through the empty corridor towards the exit, dreaming about a cup of tea and a good book before falling asleep until the next day comes.

...

Loud banging on her door woke Caroline up from her very comfortable slumber. She groaned and sat straight up, hand already sliding to the nightstand where her gun was. Funny enough, Caroline was never the person to be frightened easily, yet after all she saw and all she heard about life in New York, it was ten times better to hold a gun in her hands when opening the door in such an ungodly hour.

"Do you know what time it is?" She asked, taking off the safety and walking towards the door. _What time was it, though_?— she wondered, getting closer in silence as the banging finally ended.

"It's around eleven fifteen." She heard an answer and rolled her eyes in frustration. No one could've mistaken that British accent and that cocky voice no matter how late it was.

"Are you serious?" She hissed, unbolting the door and swinging it wide open with a gun still in her hands and an expression that was far from pleased. "Do you know how phones work? Or manners?"

Apparently Klaus knew neither as all he managed to do was grin, his eyes travelling from hers to the gun and then up again. He seemed so casually uninterested about her anger or her life in general – how else would one explain his unplanned intrusion?

"I was in the neighbourhood." Klaus answered nonchalantly, not even bothering to offer his apologies, or to at least pretend he understood her frustration. "There has been another murder. So unless you're ready to go down there in your pink PJs, I'd suggest you go change quick."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

A gust of wind ruffled Caroline's hair; an ambulance sped through the street somewhere in the distance as only an echo did reach the two of them. Both were walking in silence with hands in their pockets an emotionless expressions plastered over their faces.

Even though Caroline could think of million different ways on how to reach the scene, Klaus insisted on parking his car three blocks from there and then walking the distance instead. The man was an enigma, and no matter how hard did she try to find any kind of reasoning behind his actions, any possible explanation failed miserably.

And while on their silent journey, she pondered, waiting for him to say at least as much as a word, however there was silence instead. She did, however, glance at him every once in a while, inspecting his profile, following the trajectory of his gaze just to find nothing on the receiving end. Caroline did think just how strange of a person he was, how he never talked about himself or his life, yet his eyes would light up once the topic was homicide and everything concerning a case worked. Even though one could've called it 'professional', to Caroline it was not only eerie, but borderline insane as well. She did notice his gaze lightning up at that time he was standing by her door, a smirk tugging at his lips once another murder was mentioned. He might've been one hell of a detective, yet all she wanted was to keep a good distance between them at all times.

"How do you know Tyler Lockwood?" His calm and even voice snapped Caroline out of her train of thoughts and she turned her head to look at him.

"We used to—" She started, however it was visible that he had no genuine interest in the matter as long as it did not involve Tyler's association with the case. "—go to the same school."

After all, it wasn't a lie even if the bigger part of the truth she kept to herself.

"Why don't you tell me this without hesitating?" A car passed by, shedding the light on his face and all Caroline could see was that sly smirk that Klaus wore so often when talking to her.

"Why don't you butt out of this?" Caroline retorted, realizing how childish she sounded only moments after the words escaped her mouth.

Something in Klaus pushed all the wrong buttons and even if she was a successful independent woman, she couldn't help it but feel as if she was still in the kindergarten and Klaus was that one annoying boy pulling her pigtails and wrecking her sandcastles.

"Let's agree on one thing Miss Forbes—" At that point Klaus simply stopped, his hand snaking around Caroline's forearm so to stop her as well. He didn't hesitate to pull her towards himself, quite harshly, until there were only inches separating them as he leaned even closer. "—your personal life does not concern me, nor it ever will, yet he is the main suspect and if you're hiding something because of your _history_, I do not think you are fit for this line of job to begin with."

His tone was calm yet articulated, making him stress all the right words that stung Caroline one after the other. They were so close she could smell his cologne as gusts of wind were playing with their hair, an occasional blond strand brushing against Klaus' cheek as well. All she could do was curse inside, because she still expected that it was possible to talk to him like with another human being, yet all he did was mock and interrogate her.

"First of all, Mister Mikaelson—" She carried on in the same manner he did, her fingers sliding towards his hand that still had her forearm in a grasp. There was only that much one person could take, and she was through playing nice and trying to treat him with that little respect she still had. Without hesitation she ripped his hand from hers and took a step back so to put some distance between them. "—if you want to get a statement from me, make sure to book an interrogation room in advance. And second – if you ever touch me again I'll break your fingers one by one."

It wasn't difficult to add dramatics to her words as she was fuming with anger; her words were being scoffed through her clenched teeth instead. It didn't seem to faze him, yet it brought some sort of a twisted satisfaction to Caroline. Her standing up for herself in front of him was an action long overdue.

Nothing but silence followed as they stood in the middle of a busy sidewalk and looked at each other for what felt like a whole eternity. If it was an old western, Caroline could swear that they would be pulling out their guns right about then, yet it was no movie and definitely no fairytale and only a soft brush of an elbow against her back from a passenger finally broke their eye contact as she – without another word said – spun around on her heel and continued towards their destination, still bubbling with anger.

"Agent Mikaelson, agent Forbes." One of the policemen nodded his head, gesturing towards the apartment already busy with people. Flashes of camera and loud chatter embraced her as she stepped in and took a look around.

Yet again it was a messy crime scene – victim was lying in the bed, blood was literally everywhere. Even she wasn't startled by the sight of blood, it was somewhat uncomfortable nonetheless. There was that faux image of serenity that varied in both scenes; something about killing the victim in their beds as if laying them to their final rest. It also sparked a question – how did the killer manage to catch them sleeping on both occasions without waking either one of them up? There was no sign of any of the bodies being carried to the bed from any other place in the apartment, so it was only logical that the killer was someone they knew, someone they knew so well that they would grant an access to their apartments.

"Victim is a thirty-five year old male, killed somewhere around midnight." Caroline turned her head to look at the coroner giving a report to Klaus who didn't even pretend to be listening.

"No idea who he was?" Caroline stepped closer to them, taking the courtesy of actually engaging the conversation instead of standing there motionless just as her partner did.

"No passport or anything to show his identity was found so far." Coroner's short blunt sentences were somewhat medically precise; it was more than clear that he was willing to go back to investigating the body instead of giving a summary of events.

With a smile and a nod she let him get back to work, her gaze travelling around the scene in silence. Even though the idea was twisted, Caroline found it soothing to be concentrated on something else – even if it was a very bloody murder – but their previous spat with Klaus. With a shiver she thought that their situation was making a cold-blooded person out of her in all the wrong ways.

Even though still angry, she turned her head to look at him, to examine that expression as if carved out of stone. He was standing there, silent, motionless; as if a sculpture from ancient Greek times. So focused on nothing in particular, making Caroline only guess what was going on in that head of his. Was he seeing another clue? Something to tie lose ends while she was simply standing there and guessing about what was going on with him? He was damn annoying and damn distracting at the same time.

She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair, silently hoping to sneak out for a cup of coffee because fatigue was finally getting to her. Step after step she walked the distance from the bedroom to the kitchen and back to the living room where everyone seemed to stand and bounce ideas and insights into the case. One thing that got Caroline's attention was the door leading out of the apartment; it seemed that someone simply clumsily pushed it when walking by as it was only slightly ajar instead of being open widely. She made her way towards it, eyes fixed on barely visible scratches all over the dark wood that didn't quite me sense to her.

Trying her best not to reach out and touch it, thus tempering with the crime scene, she leaned in so close that doors were inches from her, her brain trying to make the best of it out. It didn't look like an animal clawed at the wood; it was somewhat more deliberate as if a pattern of sorts she couldn't quite crack. Turning her head an trying to see where Klaus was, Caroline noticed a hint of a shadow right outside in the hallway, looking as if whoever it was, was speeding to the opposite direction.

"Klaus!" She yelled, however did not wait for a response before running out the door and into the blinding darkness that seemed condensed after bright lights of the apartment. For all she knew it might've been a cat or another animal and her quest was nothing if not a joke for someone to laugh about back at the station, however she pulled out her gun and ran to the only direction that seemed logical.

As she emerged from around the corner and her eyes finally got used to the dark, Caroline took a look around only to feel a stab of disappointment as there was no trace of anyone ever being there. Loud footsteps from behind were those of Klaus, however the mysterious visitor was as good as gone.

"What is it?" Klaus hissed, clear dissatisfaction marking his voice, however it made little to no impact on Caroline.

"Be silent." She whispered and at that same time a loud noise from outside echoed throughout the empty hallway. Caroline ran to the window, looking outside at a fire escape and a black silhouette putting some distance between itself and them.

With her ups and her downs that day, she wasn't about to let it go, and even if she could understand that Klaus was shouting something, she didn't even stop to listen. Swiftly did she move down the ladder and jumped to the cold ground in what felt like seconds. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins and her heart was pounding in her ears, adding only that much more determination into her actions.

"NYPD! Stop with your hands up above your head!" She yelled, chasing the suspect down the dark alley, casting an occasional glance behind to see Klaus almost closing the distance. Years of cheerleading and physical exercises made her quite fast and quite persevering, yet even that didn't help as she was losing her breath and losing the sight of the person she so desperately tried to catch. Another sharp turn and then another yet the determination was dying out every second of the way until only by nothing but a lucky accident she took a shortcut that helped her to almost close in on the suspect.

Klaus was nowhere to be seen, yet she didn't need him even a little bit, pathetic joy of accomplishing something without his help was more than satisfying.

"Caroline! Duck!" His voice came as if from nowhere, startling her rather than alerting and at the same time a loud sound of a bullet being fired melted into one as — as if it was happening in slow motion — she turned her head to look for Klaus, her eyes meeting his only for a moment before a sharp pain in her shoulder blinded Caroline, making her knees finally give up and gravity doing its best to pull her down to the cold ground.

Couple of swears echoed in humming silence that dawned, few more shots were fired into the distance, yet it wasn't enough to pull her out of the agony and defeat she was feeling.

Caroline could feel warm hands on her cheeks, opening her eyes only to look into an icy-blue gaze of Klaus', only fragments of his words reaching her. And just as the adrenaline finally got replaced by nothing but sheer pain did she close her eyes and drifted away, still feeling his touch but for no more than a second.


End file.
